Four primary schools scrap parent volunteer scheme for entry into Primary 1
MOE said around one-third of Singapore’s primary schools offer the parent volunteer scheme.
Four primary schools in Singapore have recently discontinued their parent volunteer schemes for entry into Primary 1. Fairfield Methodist School (Primary), Mee Toh School, Hong Wen School, and Rosyth School all stopped accepting parent volunteers in 2025 or 2026. The scheme, which grants priority placement for children of parents who clock at least 40 hours of volunteering, was often used to gain admission into popular schools.
The Education Ministry stated that around one-third of Singapore's primary schools currently offer the parent volunteer scheme, with the number of participating schools remaining stable in recent years. The Ministry is reviewing the Primary 1 registration system to increase access for children from diverse backgrounds and encourage social mixing.
The scrapped schemes faced scrutiny over whether they favoured children of alumni and parent volunteers or those living nearby. Some schools cited strong support from their parent support groups as reasons for keeping the scheme, while others did not respond to queries. The removal of the scheme may help narrow the advantage that time-privileged parents have in gaining admission to popular schools.
Written by urgent.news from Straits Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
